City considers new commercial zoning laws

IMPERIAL BEACH  Imperial Beach is only a vote away from adopting new zoning laws designed to stimulate the economy by producing flexible, mixed-use retail spaces and enhancing the community’s pedestrian atmosphere.

Changing the zoning laws will be a significant step in overcoming some of the challenges the city faces in the wake of the state’s shutdown of local redevelopment agencies.

Under the proposal up for a final vote Wednesday, the city’s main commercial corridors of Seacoast Drive, Palm Avenue and 13th Street would be rezoned and commercial guidelines changed to attract more businesses that would provide more local opportunities for shopping and other retail activities.

“This is the culmination of a lot of work over a lot of years,” Community Development Director Greg Wade said when he presented the proposed ordinance to the City Council on Aug. 1. “It started several years ago when, in our commercial zones, there were several projects that were maximizing residential use and minimizing the potential for commercial use. We were worried that we would lose that commercial land and as a result, lose out on retail and tax generation.”

Part of the problem was that the city’s zoning law did not specify a minimum amount of commercial area that needed to be developed for mixed-use projects.

The city used a series of 12 community workshops to look at every aspect of the city’s zoning ordinance, with the goal of providing more desirable ground-floor commercial and retail space that would attract a variety of tenants and have a high potential for reuse.

Other goals included establishing design standards, creating fiscal sustainability and presenting realistic parking standards. The city currently has 38 parking regulations, which are “extensive and varied,” Wade said.

The plan includes a proposal to increase maximum building heights, from two stories, or 28 feet in some areas, to three stories, or 35 feet.

Developers who want to take advantage of the increased building height maximum would have to achieve a number of incentives first, including lot consolidation, “exceptional architectural design” and green building design.

Finally, city staff members are recommending design guidelines. These would not be included in the city’s code, Wade said, because they will have to be updated frequently in order to keep pace with development trends and climate control trends.

With these new regulations, Wade said, the potential increase of retail space in Imperial Beach will be between 110,000 and 159,000 square feet.

Councilman Edward Spriggs commended Wade for his work on the rezoning project, and observed that the installation of Pier South, a new four-story luxury hotel on Seacoast Drive, has been “a reality changer” for the city.

Wade said Imperial Beach still faces significant challenges in creating an attractive environment for new businesses, because of the state’s recent phaseout of redevelopment agencies.

“I don’t know that that project would have happened without redevelopment assistance,” he told Spriggs. “The dissolution of redevelopment is certainly a big hindrance to our efforts to redevelop our city. That was a well-known and well-used tool, and without it, we’ll face challenges, but they are not insurmountable.”

Councilman Brian Bilbray said that although he has never been a fan of this type of rezoning, Wade makes a good salesman. Still, he said, if the city passes the ordinance and begins to hear hesitation from potential business owners and developers because of the new regulations, city leaders need to be willing to revisit the issue.

“My generation is going to have to keep this city alive,” he said. “What we do today sets it up for the younger people.”